A sandal is a type of footwear commonly used in an informal setting to protect an individual's feet. For instance, a barefoot individual is susceptible to the pain of stepping on a sharp rock, hot sand, or even hot seeping tar. The typical result is injury or contamination of the feet. In many instances it is not an acceptable practice to walk barefoot, and food establishments typically ban patrons who fail to wear footwear. For this reason, sandals have become a convenient form of footwear to protect an individual's feet yet providing a near barefoot experience.
Sandals may also be used to assist a beautician during a pedicure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,987 discloses a pedicure sandal having a base with four toe prongs extending out of the base for placement between the toes. Each prong maintains the toes in a spaced apart position. This assists a beautician in performing a pedicure by inhibiting the toes from touching and further allowing for the proper application of nail polish. By use of the pedicure sandal, an individual may immediately walk or drive a car with freshly polished toes. This eliminates the need for waiting up to an hour at a salon while the nail polish drys. However, even if the polish drys within an hour, it is known that the polish can still easily scratch should the individual immediately put on tight fitting shoes. The problem with the pedicure sandal of the prior art is that the toe positions are fixed and requires an individual to place their foot within the sandal which, by itself could damage the nail polish. The fixed prongs require the individual to wear the sandal throughout the entire pedicure process. If the sandal had been worn before, the bottom of the sandal could be contaminated and the beautician may refuse to work on the foot with the sandals in place. Even if the sandal is clean, the sandal is larger than the foot and is difficult to work with. If the sandal is installed after the pedicure, the individual must place their foot through a fixed strap and then insert the prongs between the toes. Any incorrect movement will cause the nail polish to be affected.
Thus what is lacking in the art is a combination pedicure sandal which allows for the separation of toes before or after the placement of a foot within a sandal and includes an adjustable bridge strap to ease insertion of the foot.